Overview

Many cooperatives experience spikes in member engagement around annual meetings or specific events, only to watch interest wane throughout the rest of the year. This best practice outlines a strategy for maintaining steady, meaningful member engagement year-round—building stronger loyalty, better participation, and deeper community impact.

Core Tactics:

1.  Segment your audience. Not all members are motivated by the same content. Create messaging for at least 2–3 member personas (e.g., the busy parent, the elder activist, the young entrepreneur).
   
   Here is a sample Persona Development Worksheet to define key member types:

Download Persona Development Worksheet (Google Sheet)

• Create a quarterly engagement theme. For example:
  Q1: “Your Voice Matters”
  Q2: “Celebrate Cooperation”
  Q3: “Invest in Your Co-op”
  Q4: “Future-Ready Together”

Here is a sample Quarterly calendar to plan engagement by theme and channel:
Download Editable Yearly Engagement Calendar (Google Sheet)

• Use a multi-channel communication plan. Mix email, social, SMS, video, in-store or in-branch signage, and community meetings.
• Highlight impact and participation opportunities. Celebrate co-op wins, spotlight active members, and regularly share ways to engage.
• Track engagement metrics. Open rates, click-throughs, event attendance, social reactions, and feedback forms all count. Adjust tactics based on what your members respond to.

Use this template to define and align messaging goals across the year:Download Communication Theme Planning Template (Google Sheet)